It appears that instead of blaming W. for his problems that Obama will now turn to mimicking him. Obama's re-elecion plan is not to present himself as a success, it is to present himself as the better of two bad choices like W. did versus John Kerry.

I am not sure this will work for him like it did for Bush. Bush had the luxury of a weak opponent in Kerry/Edwards. Romney might not be quite as vulnerable and if he picks a strong running mate this tactic could back-fire.

It appears that instead of blaming W. for his problems that Obama will now turn to mimicking him. Obama's re-elecion plan is not to present himself as a success, it is to present himself as the better of two bad choices like W. did versus John Kerry.

I am not sure this will work for him like it did for Bush. Bush had the luxury of a weak opponent in Kerry/Edwards. Romney might not be quite as vulnerable and if he picks a strong running mate this tactic could back-fire.

1. Romney is ABSOLUTELY as vulnerable as Kerry. He's a Mormon. There are conservatives out there who won't vote for him because of it. That's been shown in poll after poll. He has to defend his Massachusetts healthcare plan. That's strike two. And I have to wonder, how many people out there feel the way you do about Romney (you know, slimy)? I would have to assume you aren't the only one

2. Is there any running mate out there who could help Romney? Outside of Marco Rubio, who I bring up in pretty much every single one of these threads, I don't see anybody. Romney HAS to pick a conservative Christian who's sympathetic to the Tea Party. I don't think it will be Santorum, my hunch says that "Vice-President" isn't enough for him. It won't be someone like Rand Paul or Paul Ryan (though the latter would be a sensational choice). So who can really help him?

duane1969

01-24-2012, 10:59 AM

1. I think that the American position right now has swung to an "anybody but you" mentality. I don't mean that towards Obama, but towards politicans in general. Anyone who is in office right now is highly likely to be voted out.

With that said, I don't think Romney is as vulnerable as Kerry was simply because of the political climate. When Kerry ran we were in the middle of a crisis in the Middle East and Kerry was considered weak on foreign policy. The crisis now is economics and Obama has failed to live up to expectations. That leaves the door open for Romney whose economic policy is in-line with what Americans want (lower taxes, smaller government and more free trade).

As much as I dislike Romney, I dislike Obama even more, and it has nothing to do with political party. I want my country to succeed. If I thought the guy for the job was Obama I would vote for him, but we are 3 years in and I see virtually no improvement from 2008. I imagine many who dislike Romney will feel the same when comparing the two.

2. As for running mates...if Ron Paul is out of the question then how about another Paul? Rand Paul.
*He is has the ear of the Tea Party, supports individual freedom over government control, opposes abortion and supports gun ownership rights, which will appeal to conservatives.
*He will appeal to moderates because he opposes the Patriot Act, supports a balanced budget, opposes deficit spending and opposes government bailouts.
*He will appeal to bluedog liberals because he supports state choice on same-sex marriage, opposes U.S. involvement in the Middle East and supports state choice on medical marijuana.

pghin08

01-24-2012, 11:21 AM

1. I think that the American position right now has swung to an "anybody but you" mentality. I don't mean that towards Obama, but towards politicans in general. Anyone who is in office right now is highly likely to be voted out.

With that said, I don't think Romney is as vulnerable as Kerry was simply because of the political climate. When Kerry ran we were in the middle of a crisis in the Middle East and Kerry was considered weak on foreign policy. The crisis now is economics and Obama has failed to live up to expectations. That leaves the door open for Romney whose economic policy is in-line with what Americans want (lower taxes, smaller government and more free trade).

As much as I dislike Romney, I dislike Obama even more, and it has nothing to do with political party. I want my country to succeed. If I thought the guy for the job was Obama I would vote for him, but we are 3 years in and I see virtually no improvement from 2008. I imagine many who dislike Romney will feel the same when comparing the two.

2. As for running mates...if Ron Paul is out of the question then how about another Paul? Rand Paul.
*He is has the ear of the Tea Party, supports individual freedom over government control, opposes abortion and supports gun ownership rights, which will appeal to conservatives.
*He will appeal to moderates because he opposes the Patriot Act, supports a balanced budget, opposes deficit spending and opposes government bailouts.
*He will appeal to bluedog liberals because he supports state choice on same-sex marriage, opposes U.S. involvement in the Middle East and supports state choice on medical marijuana.

1. We've always had that mentality though. Being a politician is like being an offensive coordinator, everyone always thinks they can do a better job than you. We whine and complain about our politicians, but when it comes time to pull the lever, we vote for incumbents at an pretty high rate, particularly in Presidential election time.

2. Like I said, I don't see Rand Paul doing it. He doesn't strike me as the type who will up and leave his Senate post less than two years into his first term. I could see Paul as a Presidential/VP candidate in the future, but not now. I would still love to see Paul Ryan in there. I know he's young, but he seems willing to at least address some of the hard choices that we're coming upon, and that's better than 99% of politicians.

AUTaxMan

01-24-2012, 02:03 PM

Is anyone planning on watching the campaign speech/finger pointing at Congress tonight?

pghin08

01-24-2012, 02:05 PM

Is anyone planning on watching the campaign speech/finger pointing at Congress tonight?

1. Romney is ABSOLUTELY as vulnerable as Kerry. He's a Mormon. There are conservatives out there who won't vote for him because of it. That's been shown in poll after poll. He has to defend his Massachusetts healthcare plan. That's strike two. And I have to wonder, how many people out there feel the way you do about Romney (you know, slimy)? I would have to assume you aren't the only one

2. Is there any running mate out there who could help Romney? Outside of Marco Rubio, who I bring up in pretty much every single one of these threads, I don't see anybody. Romney HAS to pick a conservative Christian who's sympathetic to the Tea Party. I don't think it will be Santorum, my hunch says that "Vice-President" isn't enough for him. It won't be someone like Rand Paul or Paul Ryan (though the latter would be a sensational choice). So who can really help him?

I think Romney is vulnerable right now because he is getting his butt kicked in the debates. He is coming across as very bland, and Romneycare absolutely hurts him. The Mormon thing hurts him to slight degree, but not significantly. I think Santorum is actually the best man for the job, but he is too conservative to appeal to independents. Would be a good VP pick IMO.

Also, Romney is much more likable than Kerry ever was. Kerry was completely out of touch with the voting base. That's what did him in.